Home > Newsroom > New York City's Hungry Are Helped by Patrick Stewart's Solo Production of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'

New York City's Hungry Are Helped by Patrick Stewart's Solo Production of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'

New York, NY, March 20, 2002 — For the more than 1.5 million people in New York City who are going hungry every day, including 500,000 children, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is more than a heart-warming story. Half the proceeds of Patrick Stewart's universally acclaimed solo production of A Christmas Carol, amounting to $156,375, have been given to Food For Survival, New York City's only food bank, to provide more food to the ever-increasing number of needy people.

"As a result of the worsened economy and rise in the number of people out of work, we are seeing a seemingly unquenchable demand for emergency food," reports Lucy Cabrera, Ph.D., President and CEO at Food For Survival. "We're honored to have been one of the recipients of this wonderful holiday production. The proceeds from the Patrick Stewart show will help provide much needed food for more needy people throughout the five boroughs of New York City."

Results from Food For Survival's recent study of hunger in the city found that even before September 11, an estimated one in five people in New York City were relying on emergency food programs — food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters — to put food on the table for their families. More than half are children and the elderly. The proceeds from the show will help procure approximately 3,909,375 pounds of donated food that will be distributed through Food For Survival's network of more than 1,200 nonprofit community food programs to needy New Yorkers.

Food For Survival, a member of America's Second Harvest and the only food bank in New York City, was founded in 1983 to coordinate the procurement and distribution of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies to organizations providing free food to the hungry. Today, Food For Survival is the largest food bank and the largest distributor of free fresh produce in the country, providing the food for over 76 million meals served to needy New Yorkers each year. Food For Survival provides over 51 million pounds of food annually to more than 1,200 nonprofit community food programs — including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, low-income day care centers, Kids Cafes, and senior, youth and rehabilitative centers — throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Food For Survival works to end hunger by organizing food, information, and support for community survival and dignity.